Shared Medical Services is celebrating its 30th year as a leading provider of specialized medical imaging solutions such as mobile CT, mobile MRI, and mobile PET/CT. Even with uncertain healthcare changes looming, Shared Medical Services looks to continue to grow for years to come. The company is well diversified in terms of its portfolio of services and its customer base.

They own their equipment, employ staff and provide service on mobile routes. They also provide fixed equipment solutions.

"Our customer base is very diverse," said President and CEO Lisa Arington. "We will service anything from a small critical access hospital that may get one visit per week, or park a full-time system at a metropolitan hospital that is looking for a cost-effective turnkey solution including staff and options to be able to purchase their needs on a fee-per-scan basis."

Shared Medical Services, (SMS) has grown from five employees and two CT systems in 1980 to more than 350 employees and over 130 state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging systems serving healthcare facilities across the United States. Today, these systems are helping to diagnose over 165,000 patients annually and serve more than 480 healthcare facilities, including facilities within some of the leading healthcare networks in the country, such as Mayo Health System and Wheaton Franciscan Health, Allina Hospitals & Clinics, Aurora Health Care and more.

Humble Beginnings

In 1980 founder Joe Arington started working with a hospital cooperative to manage two CT systems in southern Wisconsin and southeast South Dakota. Constantly on the road between Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota, he literally started SMS out of the back of his car.

With the "shared services" concept, Arington continued to grow the business by adding more and more CT systems and expanded from the original territory to as far west as Eastern Montana. At one time, a scanner was traveling from La Crosse, Wisconsin to Eastern Montana (over 900 miles one-way) to offer advanced medical imaging equipment to healthcare facilities that couldn't afford to purchase their own. In 1984, with the majority of the business around the Wisconsin area, he Arington decided to move the base of the business to Southern Wisconsin. The company grew from there.

"We like our position in the marketplace and the flexibility of mobiles and getting a full compass of exposure to all segments of healthcare delivery from clinics to hospitals to doctors' offices. If one [type of provider]is having some difficulties or feeling a slump, the other one is probably going to pull up a little bit," said Lisa, who is Joe's daughter.

"I've had the unique privilege of watching the business grow from when my father started SMS 30 years ago and we are excited and honored to be able to celebrate this milestone. My Dad started SMS literally out of his station wagon, no cell phones, no email, just him on the road going hospital to hospital selling, truly, state-of-the-art equipment to hospitals," she said. "The company has come a long ways since then. He built a great foundation to start from, including hiring a great team and many of those same team members are still with us today. With the talented team we have today and the healthcare partnerships we've been able to create, we are looking forward to many years of success to come."

Learn more about Shared Medical Services at www.sharedmed.com

Read about the DOTmed 100 companies in the February 2010 issue of DOTmed Business News, now online.

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